The Duke Center on the Demography of Aging, Duke University, through its Duke Population Research Institute and its Social Science Research Institute, proposes to establish a Center on the Demography of Aging having at its core twelve senior faculty members and their research groups. These groups have strong ties with Europe, the former Soviet Union, China, Indonesia, Mexico and elsewhere: the Duke Center will have a strong international emphasis. The Duke Center will promote a highly synergistic and interdisciplinary environment to foster important research breakthroughs particularly in the areas of biological and biomedical demography of aging (aka the biodemography of aging) and in the development and application of innovative mathematical and statistical demographic tools and methods to data. The Center will help establish two new faculty positions at Duke, one an assistant professor having a focus on biodemography and the other an assistant professor with expertise in mathematical and statistical demography. With an emphasis on biodemography and mathematical and statistical demography, the Center will also support, twice-yearly, highly innovative and collaborative scientific network meetings of researchers (both from Duke and from around the world) as well as an advanced educational program for young researchers (graduate students and post-doctoral researchers), a large pilot project research program, a lively research seminar program, and the development of an extensive statistical data library and enclave. The Duke Center on the Demography of Aging will be an engine for innovation and international collaboration. It will foster innovative networks, pilot project research, and education for new researchers, new professorships, and the establishment of a Duke demographic data service with deep expertise in data analysis methodology. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: By developing new research areas, supporting and enlarging the world's community of demographic scientists, and developing new mathematical and statistical methods for the analysis of data related to the biodemography of aging as well as data management services, the Duke Center for the Demography of Aging will advance understanding of the determinants of healthy aging and longevity. This understanding is critical to the development of policy and programs that promote healthy aging.